So, taking on a subordinate like this wasn't a bad idea.
After all, he was definitely going to stay inside the sect, checking in and playing the mysterious big shot behind the scenes.
But that was all well and good; he couldn't keep turning a deaf ear to the outside world forever.
After all, once you were out in the world, you couldn't always do as you pleased. To avoid danger and trouble, he needed a few eyes and ears of his own.
Taking on a subordinate was a good choice.
He could have him run errands outside and gather information for him.
He could also leave him with all the things that were inconvenient or too much trouble for him to handle himself.
After all, an Immortal Ascension demon king might not amount to much in his eyes, but in the cultivation world, he was an absolute overlord. With his abilities, he could still get a lot done.
So Lin Xiaoyao accepted that wisp of the demon king's soul.
Of course, he still wouldn't tell the other party who he was.
He wouldn't let a single scrap of information slip.
If you wanted to be a big shot behind the scenes, you had to act like one. Besides, keeping himself mysterious was an excellent way to control his subordinates.
Wasn't it much better to lurk in the background and watch?
Seeing that the other party had accepted his soul, the demon king was overjoyed.
At last, a weight lifted from his heart.
He respectfully kowtowed three times before the statue. Then, paying no heed to the crowd's stares, he left the temple and drifted away.
He was in a fine mood.
Today, he'd truly turned disaster into fortune.
At first, he had indeed been reckless to come and test this esteemed one.
As he kowtowed and begged for mercy, he had waited in utter trepidation.
Thankfully, the other party was magnanimous. Not only did he let bygones be bygones and forgive his rash actions, he had even healed his injuries.
And so, he'd made his decision: he would serve this being as his master and willingly become his slave.
On the surface, it seemed like a foolish choice. An Immortal Ascension demon king willingly becoming a slave and binding himself hand and foot—wasn't it better to be free?
That was how it seemed, yes.
If this were an ordinary True Immortal, he certainly wouldn't have been worth pledging himself to.
But though he didn't know who this esteemed one was, nor how powerful he truly was, he still felt he'd made the right choice.
He even had a feeling that, before his master, the so-called True Immortals might be no more than ants!
So willingly becoming a servant wasn't a foolish thing to do. Quite the opposite—he thought he'd come out ahead.
Way ahead!
When good fortune came, a person's spirits soared. Demons were no different.
That day, a few fishermen casting their nets in the Mutang River witnessed a sight that left them dumbfounded.
The river's surface had been calm just moments earlier, but suddenly the waves exploded in one spot. Then a hazy dragon-shaped shadow, barely visible to the naked eye, parted the spray and plunged into the river.
The fishermen looked at one another.
Had they just imagined what they'd seen?
"Hmph, so that was the old Flood Dragon from the Mutang River."
In the little courtyard, Lin Xiaoyao had put away the other party's soul. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "As expected of an Immortal Ascension demon king. He's got a good eye."
He was quite pleased that the other party had acknowledged him as his master.
It was a win-win arrangement.
Well, the kind where he won twice.
Lin Xiaoyao was in a good mood. Before long, snores drifted out as he fell asleep in his reclining chair.
Napping in the sun was one of life's great pleasures.
"System, check in for me."
"Congratulations, host. Check-in successful. You have obtained a Youth-Preserving Pill. Claim it now?"
The system's cold, mechanical voice sounded in his ears.
That morning, after cleaning the Founder's Shrine and having breakfast, Lin Xiaoyao was once again wandering around the sect.
As the saying went, "Take a walk after a meal, and live to ninety-nine."
Bah! He suddenly spat.
As a Saint, he had an infinite lifespan. Even if the myriad worlds were destroyed, he would endure. Living to ninety-nine—wouldn't that be cursing himself?
Lin Xiaoyao chuckled at the thought.
He didn't dwell on it.
Lately, life had been going very smoothly for him.
He'd always enjoyed the quiet life in the mountains.
But to be honest, everything about his life after transmigrating was great, and he had no real worries. Still, compared with his previous life, there was one downside: it was just too boring.
No phone, no games.
And since he could advance without cultivating, he had heaps of free time on his hands, but nothing to do with it.
So he could only pass the time by tending flowers, raising fish, and reading.
It was pleasant enough, but nowhere near as fun as having a phone.
Recently, though, Lin Xiaoyao had found himself a new toy.
Ever since he learned that, for some inexplicable reason, he'd been revered as an immortal lord, with temples of every size built for him throughout the towns and villages within ten thousand li, their incense offerings flowing without pause, Lin Xiaoyao had discovered a new way to pass the time.
Listening to the prayers of worshippers!
Some of them were rather boring, but most were entertaining.
He could even hear plenty of gossip from the countryside—petty squabbles, family dramas, and household rivalries. It was more gripping than the TV dramas of his previous life.
After all, art came from life, and real people's joys and sorrows were pretty interesting.
It gave him the same feeling as binge-watching shows in his previous life.
It was enough to while away his boredom.
Of course, Lin Xiaoyao didn't do absolutely nothing. Though he was a Saint and didn't care about a little incense merit, helping others made him happy!
Every now and then, he would answer someone's prayers.
Naturally, he ignored any requests that made no sense.
If they got on his nerves, he'd even send down divine punishment and give them a little lesson.
Did they really think this immortal was a pushover?
But when people made reasonable requests for good deeds that would benefit the local populace, Lin Xiaoyao would lend a hand.
Like asking for rain.
A few days ago, he had answered the heartfelt pleas of a group of villagers and farmers by sending down a light rain.
As the saying went, "Spring rain is as precious as oil."
The villagers had been overjoyed.
They'd grown anxious and fretful after such a long dry spell. Now, they were wild with joy, kowtowing and flocking to the temple to give thanks. They all said this immortal lord was even more effective than the Dragon King.
His incense offerings flourished tenfold compared with before.
He'd sent down nothing more than a light rain, yet received so much gratitude in return. Lin Xiaoyao was quite pleased. He knew how hard life was for ordinary people, so of course he wouldn't begrudge them a helping hand.
Besides, making it rain was just a matter of saying the word for someone with Word of Law.
As for whether the Dragon King would resent him for stealing his job and come after him, Lin Xiaoyao hadn't worried about that at all.
To say nothing of the fact that there weren't any dragons within ten thousand li.
The most powerful demon was just the Azure Flood Dragon from the Mutang River, who'd lived for over ten thousand years.
And now, the other party was his slave.
Even if there really were a dragon, Lin Xiaoyao wasn't bragging when he said he wasn't afraid of it coming to cause trouble. He was only afraid it would be too chicken to show up.
If a Dragon King really came looking for trouble, it would be just what he wanted.
After all, not long ago, the system had given him a Phoenix Egg at check-in. He planned to hatch it and make it his mount. As for a Dragon King...
It might make a decent carriage-puller.
But one dragon alone didn't seem impressive enough. It would be best if a few more showed up, all harnessed to pull his carriage. Now that would be quite the spectacle!
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